Dr. Stephen Peters
Over his 37 years in education, Stephen has been a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, and district superintendent. Most of his experiences have been in schools that made significant growth in short periods of time thus, resulting in both National and State Blue-Ribbon distinction. Stephen is founder of the nationally recognized Gentlemen’s & Ladies Club programs which provide options for thousands of at-risk and honor students throughout the United States. Dr. Peters, a best-selling author of several books, served as principal-in-residence at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School during the 2015-2016 school year in South Carolina when there was a need to do so. In July of 2016, Stephen became the superintendent of Laurens County School District 55 in South Carolina, his home state.
While serving as principal of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, Peters was featured in the BBC documentary, "An American High School" in 2016. The documentary was named "Best Documentary of 2016" in London and aired on the National Geographic channel in the U.S. during 2017.
Stephen’s book, Choosing to Believe: Creating a Framework for School Success (Peters Group Foundation), is an award winning finalist for the 2010 International Book Awards. This educational tool provides a comprehensive framework for school improvement. He is also author of the best-selling books, Do You Know Enough about Me to Teach Me (Peters Group Foundation) and Teaching to Capture and Inspire all Learners (Corwin Press). Both books are used throughout the U.S. as effective tools for changing and sustaining school culture. Stephen is a contributing author for the Educational Leadership series Engaging Every Learner (Corwin Press). In his book Inspired to Learn: Why We Must Give Children Hope (Rising Sun Publishing), Stephen not only outlines his vision for the children in our schools he goes on to share how he and his staff turned their vision into operational strategies.
Peters has served on panels as an education expert with former U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Rod Paige in Washington, D.C. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Literacy Association. Stephen also serves on university and educational advisory boards.
His mentoring and self-empowering program, The Gentlemen’s Club, has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show as well as “America, America,” which broadcasts to two million viewers in Portugal and Brazil.
Dr. Peters received his B.S. from Hampton University, his M.Ed. from Old Dominion University and his Ed.D. from South Carolina State University. Stephen is one of the most sought after speakers in the United States and specializes in building effective, school climate/cultures.